The situation at the Navotas Sanitary Landfill remains dangerous as accessibility issues continue to hound the suppression operations, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) stated on Monday, April 13.

In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon press briefing on Monday, April 13, BFP spokesperson Supt. Anthony Arroyo said the thick smoke from the landfill incident remains an almost insurmountable mountain of rubbish to scour with the reduced visibility, hampering the transport of logistical apparatus, firefighting equipment and dispatch of responding emergency fire personnel.

“Dahil po hindi naman siya (landfill) puwedeng basta-bastang daanan. Ang puwede lang makadaan doon, iyong mga heavy equipment tulad ng mga bulldozer (The area cannot be easily traversed. Only heavy equipment, like bulldozers can pass through the area),’’ Arroyo explained.

But up against the formidable odds, around 50 BFP personnel and their firefighting partners are facing the daunting task of digging down to the deepest depth of the smoke-belching landfill grounds to put the blaze totally out.

Even highly-trained firefighters have to deal with the uneven ground of hot rubbish after their personal protective equipment like their holed down safety boots were melted and disfigured under the scorching heat left behind by the garbage fire.

When pressed further, Arroyo remained mum and failed to pinpoint the exact cause of the inferno, saying that the incident is still under investigation.

Due to the extreme heat of the summer months, Arroyo said the thick smoke continued to rise in the atmosphere, explaining that organic wastes are on the decomposition stage that eventually generate “methane gas.’’

“Sa ngayon ay misting. We are expecting na bukas or a day after through heavy equipment tatakpan (soil or sand) naman natin with coordination nga doon sa incident commander na pinapangunahan ng ating (Navotas fire marshal) Fire Senior Supt. (Marvin) Carbonel ( As of the moment misting is being done. We are expecting tomorrow or the day after, through coordination with the incident commander led by Fire Senior Supt Carbonel the area will be covered using heavy equipment),’’ Arroyo noted.

Under the current situation, health issues have hounded the public as parts of Metro Manila were severely engulfed by smog caused by the heavy smoke released into the atmosphere from sections of the 41-hectare Navotas Sanitary Landfill Facility (NSLF) in Barangay Tanza II.

Led by Navotas Fire Marshal Supt. Leo Andiso, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) along with the Navotas City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) are relentlessly conducting suppression operations to confine the fire that in the safer sections of the landfill.

“The facility is located approximately 2.6 kilometers from the mainland,’’ the BFP noted.

Aside from barges deployed by San Miguel Corporation, PAF helicopters are also conducting aerial water drops to help suppress the fire.